Chapter 31
Previous Chapter "Welcome home." Han just entered the living room, returning from another day of work. Fenix was standing in the hallway, gesturing at him. Han dropped his jacket and bag in his own room first before heading over to Fenix's. "Public transport sucks!" declared Han as he tried to tiptoe through the messy ground and plopped into the chair next to Fenix's desk. "I miss my bike." Fenix shook his head. "I understand your anxiety of being identified, but I still think disposing your bike is a little too paranoid." Han grunted, frustrated at the memory. It was a precious present from Julian. "So how was seeing Silvia?" asked Han, changing the subject. "Work's really been starting to pile up." "Well, it was nice to see her again. We caught up and everything," said Fenix. "But she wanted to get to business, as did I." Han sat straight up, interest perked. "So here's her plan," began Fenix. "She and two others are going to infiltrate HaleLabs." "What?! Why?" asked Han incredulously. "Supposedly, they were informed by a Mr. Roland Blanco that there would be a lead on Organization MERLIN there. You've heard of him, right?" Han shook his head in disbelief. He's never seen Roland himself, but even he's heard of Roland's reputation. How was HaleCorp involved? Was Helga Hale a part of Organization MERLIN? "So what are they going to do there?" asked Han. "They're still picking the right date," said Fenix. "But this is their plan." He took his keyboard on his desk and quickly typed away. Then, a glowing blue projection of a two-story building appeared, floating in the middle of his room. Fenix pointed at the first story of the building. It responded to Fenix's touch, highlighting itself yellow. "Silvia and her team are going to start a fire, here at the first floor. Don't worry," said Fenix, noticing Han's expression. "She assured me it wasn't going to be a real fire." "So, it's only to get people out of the building, huh?" "Right," nodded Fenix. "While people are busy fighting the fake fire, Silvia and one of her teammates is going to enter the building to try to access their computers for any leads. I would help infiltrate the lab with them as well." "What about her third teammate?" asked Han. "She says he's going to be directing the team, and also driving the getaway car," said Fenix. "That's where you come in. She was wondering if you could be the lookout and support." Good, a role with the least exposure. But Han still had his doubts. "There's still something about this that makes me feel uneasy. What are the risks?" asked Han, knowing his friend would've already calculated hundreds of scenarios in his head. "Well the best case scenario is that we get the data we need and there is no confrontation," said Fenix. "I'm fairly confident we're not entering a figurative wasps nest. Silvia assures me HaleLabs is not the MERLIN headquarters themselves, only that there's some activity there." Han was still not quite as confident. "And the worst case scenario?" Han asked. "If there are one or more hostiles we cannot beat, the plan is to abort. Get out and fast," said Fenix. "And if we do face anyone, then it basically confirms MERLIN's involvement." Fenix waved his hand to the left, and the hologram of the building disappeared. He then held up his open hand, and five blank squares appeared in a row. "This team is pretty balanced," said Fenix. "Silvia's first teammate is Carter Rook. He's going to be the director and the getaway." As Fenix was describing Carter to Han, a picture of his face appeared in the hologram square. A list of Carter's attributes appeared underneath his frame. "He doesn't have any abilities?" wondered Han as he read the list. "No," said Fenix. "But he has the most leadership experience out of everyone." Fenix pointed to the second square. "Marcus Cato. He's ex-military, and probably is one of the better fighters in our group." Han jumped to his feet. "That's him! The guy I fought with against that MERLIN guy!!" Fenix smiled. "Then I guess you're familiar with some of his abilities. He can create weapons and also has healing powers. He also has a somewhat limited sensing ability." Fenix waved his hand, and the last three squares became portraits of Han, Fenix, and Silvia. "You already know what the rest of us can do." Han thought about the risks. "I don't know," he said. "It's one thing to Mind Link with you and Silvia. I've never linked with strangers before." "I know you're concerned, but I have faith in Silvia," said Fenix, nodding. "She's an excellent judge of character. Her teammates are people we can trust." "But what about her teammates?" said Han, still worried. "What if they do betray us? They'll know about us!" "Not to worry, Silvia kept all of our personal information private. She even used code names for us." Fenix typed something, on his keypad, and then the hologram flickered. Han looked at the portraits of him and Fenix, and noticed that their information was altered. "Palm?" Han rolled his eyes at the code name. "That sounds so... basic." "And I presume 'Headphones' or 'Handyman' would have been more preferable?" smiled Fenix. "Silvia was never creative with names. Besides, I like it. It reminds me the story of the Monkey King and the Buddha." "Anyways," continued Fenix. "If everything goes according to plan, you won't even have to do anything. Just blend in with the crowd and keep watch." Han nodded. He could do this. He could still contribute to stopping the organization without much risk for his normal life. "Okay. I'll help." Next Chapter